Dönmez: “Greek Cypriot Administration should share natural resources of the island fairly with the Turkish Cypriots”

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez stated that the balance in respect of the distribution of natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean was changed with the latest agreement signed with Libya.

Dönmez evaluated the agenda on the Anadolu Agency Editor’s Desk.

Dönmez said that it was possible to meet and sign maritime boundary agreements with countries that had a shoreline to the Eastern Mediterranean.

He added that countries could declare their own continental shelves in cases where such agreements did not exist.

“Both cases take you to the UN where you have to apply and register your claims. There are areas which we declared as part of our continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean and which we registered with the UN. We have also signed a continental delineation agreement with the TRNC. We have foiled plans on the distribution of natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean with the latest agreement signed with Libya. There are efforts to keep both Turkey and Libya out of the picture,” Dönmez said.

The Turkish Energy Minister said that some of Turkey’s licensed blocks overlapped with those of the Greek Cypriot Administration but that Turkey continued its exploration and drilling activities in these disputed areas without interruption.

He pointed out that areas licensed by the Greek Cypriot side following agreements signed with Egypt in 2003 and 2005 were located south of Turkey’s blocks.

“They are not conducting any exploration or drilling in our blocks but they are claiming to have jurisdiction in those areas. Let it not be forgotten, the TRNC is one of the two sides on the island. The Greek Cypriot administration should share the island’s natural resources fairly with our brethren in the TRNC,” he added.